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Published during Nicolas Sarkozy's presidency, L'Enfance (Childhood) is an autobiographical and pamphletary text in which French-Portuguese singer, Catherine Ribeiro, reflects on the links between her (artistic) freedom, her political activism and the lack of personal, national, and professional recognition. In this article, I argue that, like other writers of working class origins inspired by sociologist Pierre Bourdieu, such as Annie Ernaux (recently in Retour à Yvetot) or Didier Eribon in Retour à Reims, Ribeiro returns to her childhood in Saint-Fons, not so much to make a critique of her abusive mother and absent father, but rather to do an "auto-socio-[ethno-] analysis" of her Portuguese immigrant upbringing in the suburbs of Lyon in the forties and fifties. Her original autobiography, mixed with excerpts of her protest songs, allows the reader to better understand the roots of her politically engaged life and career. Ultimately, she argues for a recognition of Portuguese immigrants and their descendants' contributions in France, including her own.

Published during Nicolas Sarkozy's presidency, L'Enfance (Childhood) is an autobiographical and pamphletary text in which French-Portuguese singer, Catherine Ribeiro, reflects on the links between her (artistic) freedom, her political activism and the lack of personal, national, and professional recognition. In this article, I argue that, like other writers of working class origins inspired by sociologist Pierre Bourdieu, such as Annie Ernaux (recently in Retour à Yvetot) or Didier Eribon in Retour à Reims, Ribeiro returns to her childhood in Saint-Fons, not so much to make a critique of her abusive mother and absent father, but rather to do an "auto-socio-[ethno-] analysis" of her Portuguese immigrant upbringing in the suburbs of Lyon in the forties and fifties. Her original autobiography, mixed with excerpts of her protest songs, allows the reader to better understand the roots of her politically engaged life and career. Ultimately, she argues for a recognition of Portuguese immigrants and their descendants' contributions in France, including her own.

Published during Nicolas Sarkozy's presidency, L'Enfance (Childhood) is an autobiographical and pamphletary text in which French-Portuguese singer, Catherine Ribeiro, reflects on the links between her (artistic) freedom, her political activism and the lack of personal, national, and professional recognition. In this article, I argue that, like other writers of working class origins inspired by sociologist Pierre Bourdieu, such as Annie Ernaux (recently in Retour à Yvetot) or Didier Eribon in Retour à Reims, Ribeiro returns to her childhood in Saint-Fons, not so much to make a critique of her abusive mother and absent father, but rather to do an "auto-socio-[ethno-] analysis" of her Portuguese immigrant upbringing in the suburbs of Lyon in the forties and fifties. Her original autobiography, mixed with excerpts of her protest songs, allows the reader to better understand the roots of her politically engaged life and career. Ultimately, she argues for a recognition of Portuguese immigrants and their descendants' contributions in France, including her own.

This introduction to the Special Issue provides a synthetic overview of scholarly and mainstream discussions about the Portuguese presence in France, while addressing how the different articles collectively and individually expand our understandings of the Portuguese in France as themselves highly reflexive producers of culture. We review common images of the Portuguese presence in France, including how Luso-French participants and cultural producers have responded to and contested such images. In particular, we discuss the following: 1. the relative (in)visibility of Portuguese migrants and their descendants from public life in both Portugal and France, as compared to other migrant and postmigrant groups; 2. how Luso-French cultural producers navigate their families' transnational lives and intergenerational relations as material for cultural production; 3. the politics surrounding the (il)legitimacy and differential circulation of various forms of Portuguese and Luso-French cultural products. We hope that the issue's focus on Luso-French cultural productions will allow fresh perspectives, and invite new questions to be asked about the legacies and future directions of Luso-France.

This introduction to the Special Issue provides a synthetic overview of scholarly and mainstream discussions about the Portuguese presence in France, while addressing how the different articles collectively and individually expand our understandings of the Portuguese in France as themselves highly reflexive producers of culture. We review common images of the Portuguese presence in France, including how Luso-French participants and cultural producers have responded to and contested such images. In particular, we discuss the following: 1. the relative (in)visibility of Portuguese migrants and their descendants from public life in both Portugal and France, as compared to other migrant and postmigrant groups; 2. how Luso-French cultural producers navigate their families' transnational lives and intergenerational relations as material for cultural production; 3. the politics surrounding the (il)legitimacy and differential circulation of various forms of Portuguese and Luso-French cultural products. We hope that the issue's focus on Luso-French cultural productions will allow fresh perspectives, and invite new questions to be asked about the legacies and future directions of Luso-France.

This introduction to the Special Issue provides a synthetic overview of scholarly and mainstream discussions about the Portuguese presence in France, while addressing how the different articles collectively and individually expand our understandings of the Portuguese in France as themselves highly reflexive producers of culture. We review common images of the Portuguese presence in France, including how Luso-French participants and cultural producers have responded to and contested such images. In particular, we discuss the following: 1. the relative (in)visibility of Portuguese migrants and their descendants from public life in both Portugal and France, as compared to other migrant and postmigrant groups; 2. how Luso-French cultural producers navigate their families' transnational lives and intergenerational relations as material for cultural production; 3. the politics surrounding the (il)legitimacy and differential circulation of various forms of Portuguese and Luso-French cultural products. We hope that the issue's focus on Luso-French cultural productions will allow fresh perspectives, and invite new questions to be asked about the legacies and future directions of Luso-France.